If you have been formally accused of a crime in Illinois, it might feel like your world is falling apart. You could have serious worries about your future and the impact on your family, your employment, and your financial situation. But when this happens and you feel powerless, that is precisely when your actions matter the most.
The steps you take after a criminal charge can be a deciding factor in a sentence. After an arrest or criminal charge, you should contact an Arlington Heights, IL criminal defense attorney who can represent your best interests and protect your rights.
DO: Exercise Your Fifth Amendment Rights
At a traffic stop, a police officer may decide to take you into custody regardless of your guilt or innocence. The Miranda warning will be read to you by the arresting officer, and it is in your best interests to invoke the rights that are included in it. Any information you volunteer to the officer during an arrest provides ammunition for the prosecution, so you should remain calm and more importantly, silent.